A lot of parents tend to blame themselves when it comes to microtia or
other physical defects. There is little that can be done outside of
surgical procedure to reconstruct the outer ear and use of hearing
devices when needed, before this research is conclusive.
The first thought a mother has when she sees that there is a physical
abnormality in or on her son or daughter. She panics at the sound of
the word Microtia. She wonders if something happened during her
pregnancy that could have been done or prevented, medicated, or omitted
from her life or routine to prevent this from happening. At this point,
there are developing theories as to what happened physically or
chemically in uterus and therefore fetus development to prevent the
ear(s) from forming as they should.
When it comes to parents the concerns run the gamut of what’s wrong with
my genes, what did I ingest, will my child have a physical handicap for
life; and lastly, how will this affect him (or her) socially? As
parents, it is a part of the job description to think about the big
picture. But first, doctors have to get to the root of the problem in
order to preserve the ears and hearing of the children with microtia
today. There will continue to be developing research and tests to
prevent its reoccurrence and progression with other family’s future
children as well as treat the children in the community and at large.
At this point there is no definitive precursor or cure outside of
surgical procedure to reconstruct the outer ear and use of hearing
devices when needed. However, there are developing links between what
the mothers experienced during their child’s development, specifically
during the first trimester. Physically it has been quite obviously
linked to lack of blood supply to the ears, but why specifically the
ears and no other appendages? This is why scientists are pointing to the
build up of a high level of a specific vitamin, harmful environmental
exposure, or health issues within the mother’s system that is dangerous
to the baby’s formation as is with the high levels of any vitamin,
mineral, or foreign substance that is harmful to the adult regardless of
pregnancy status.
A lot of parents tend to blame themselves when it comes to microtia or
other physical defects. There is little that can be done before this
research is conclusive. Apart from the presence of evidence in one’s
genetic history, there is research being done to show a link to illness,
environment, and medications experienced or ingested during pregnancy.
It is hard to believe that that would have adverse effects on one’s
growing fetus, but it does. It is not the parents fault that these
random occurrences affect their child. However and most importantly,
this is a physical defect that can be altered by surgical intervention
very early in the child’s life. There is cause for concern as to how it
happened, but not for the future physical, social, or psychological
success of the children.
